


It Was Supposed To Be Me

by kuraleap52



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Character Death, Gunshot Wounds, Heartbreak, M/M, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:55:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28953060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuraleap52/pseuds/kuraleap52
Summary: Fangs didn't realize it was Sweet Pea who had gotten hit until he saw his best friend, who had stepped in front of him, shielding him from danger like usual, looked down at his stomach and then started to fall backwards. Guilt started to overwhelm him, knowing he should've been the one to take the bullet.
Relationships: Fangs Fogarty/Sweet Pea
Kudos: 6





	It Was Supposed To Be Me

**Author's Note:**

> The whole Fangs being shot thing was so expected and it was just the simplest way they could've done it. Also, Fangs realistically would've never been left uncovered long enough for someone to get an accurate shot off. So, even though Swangs isn't even a thing anymore because the writers are dicks, here's my contribution to this ship that deserved so much better.

"In unity, there is strength!"

The four of them, plus FP and some other serpents that were in the crowd, helped lead Fangs through the mob of furious people. The mob pushed shoved, cursed, and screamed at the Serpents. They held up signs and chanted, "Justice for Midge!" The Serpents did their best to ignore them and keep pushing through. 

Sweet Pea tried his best to keep his head high and keep moving through the relentless crowd. He felt a few kicks at his shins and there were a few items being thrown at them, most likely bottles and rocks. But when he took a look to his left, what caught his eye was his old pal Archie Andrews, who was running through the crowd. Sweet Pea wasn't sure what his intention was until he saw who he was running at. Reggie Mantle, who was the one who accused him of essentially murdering Midge. Who had slashed all their tires and set a dumpster on fire the night before. Who had been harassing all of them ever since the moment they stepped foot in Riverdale High. Who was carrying a gun in the pocket of his letterman jacket.

Sweet Pea's eyes widened. Reggie was going to shoot Fangs. Sweet Pea, who was currently stuck behind FP, jumped ahead of him and positioned himself in between Fangs and Reggie. Only, Archie had tackled Reggie and the two of them were tangled up on the ground. He was about to step forward and approach Reggie before a gunshot was fired. Everyone, including himself, flinched at the loud noise. A single scream was all to be heard in the moment of tension as everyone looked around to see who had potentially gotten hit. Sweet Pea himself scanned the crowd before he felt something was wrong. He felt a pain unlike like any other and it was coming from his stomach. He took a deep breath to prepare himself before looking down at his stomach. Sure enough, blood started making it's way through his thin, black shirt. Noticing the way Sweets was looking down at his stomach, the other serpents were quickly also made aware of the situation. It wasn't easy, but with Sweet Pea starting to lose consciousness and the Serpent's strength, they lowered Sweet Pea down to the concrete. 

Fangs didn't realize it was Sweet Pea who had gotten hit until he saw his best friend, who had stepped in front of him, shielding him from danger like usual, looked down at his stomach and then started to fall backwards. Guilt started to overwhelm him, knowing he should've been the one to take the bullet. 

Fangs, Jughead, Toni, and FP were at his side in a heartbeat, all just sort of helplessly pressing their hands against his wound. No one really knew what to do, as none of them had every had any sort of injury this serious and life-threatening before. Blood soaked all over everyone's hands as the bleeding started getting out of control.

Fangs' hand found Sweet Pea's and all Sweets could do was squeeze it and try not to lose consciousness. Both were scared shitless and all they could do was squeeze each other's hand.

"Get help!" Jughead yelled at Archie and whoever else could hear him. 

Fangs was going to let Sweet Pea squeeze his hand however tight he needed to, as long as it meant he was still conscious. Which is why it was concerning when he felt Sweet Pea's grip loosen on his hand. Fangs' other hand found the back of Sweet Pea's head just before it could hit the concrete below him.

"Hey, hey, Sweets. You gotta stay awake for us. _Please_ , man, _"_ Fangs begged his best friend. Sweet Pea's dark brown eyes fluttered and eventually stayed partially open. Fangs could work with that.

Meanwhile FP had already taken off his Serpent jacket and told Toni to hold it there while he contained the angry mob from hurting any of them.

Archie had lifted himself off the ground and was on the phone with the 911, but it was really no use. He knew there was no way Sweet Pea would make it in time. It brought back memories of when his dad was shot. He knew the ambulance Pop had called wasn't going to come in time, so he took his dad to the hospital himself.

"Jug, it's not gonna come in time. You need to take him there yourself." Jughead nodded and gave his friend a thankful look.

"Dad, we gotta take him there ourselves. The hospital." FP looked at him and then at Archie, who had already given up on calling an ambulance. He looked back at Jughead and nodded.

"Okay, Toni, Fangs, on three we're gonna lift him up. And then I'm going to take his weight on one side and I'm going to need one of you to take his weight on the other side. Got it?" The two of them nodded. "Okay, one, two, three!" Sweet Pea cried out in agony as he was lifted, but his weight was immediately supported by FP and Fangs. Toni and Jughead followed behind them as they made their way through the crowd with the help of some of the other Serpents.

They quickly maneuvered their way over to FP's truck. Sweets heavily groaned as they loaded him into the backseat. Fangs hopped back in there with him to keep pressure on the wound and make sure he didn't pass out. FP and Jughead hopped into the front seat and Toni told them she would meet up with them at the hospital.

"Hey, Sweets," Fangs frantically tapped his friend lightly on the face to get him awake.

"I-I'm awake," Sweet Pea grunted.

"Good, good," Fangs whispered, running his hands, that were still covered in his best friends blood, through his hair.

"Fogarty.." Fangs turned his attention toward his nearly-unconscious friend, who was looking at him with tired, pain-filled eyes. If he wasn't looking so deep into Sweet Pea's eyes he might've missed the tears that were starting to fill them.

Sweet Pea chuckled out of embarrassment, not liking to show his emotions like this. His hand reached out to find Fangs' and he took an uneasy breath, just looking into Fangs' eyes to steady himself. Because Fangs always made him feel safe. Made him feel like he didn't have to hold up this wall of imperishable masculinity. 

"Fogarty I just want you to know...I love you," he choked out, the tears in his eyes still threatening to fall down his cheeks. "I love you, man." Fangs' own eyes grew tears. His lips were quivering out of fear and sadness, seeing Sweet Pea in so much pain. Fangs squeezed his best friends hand, never wanting to let go.

"I love you too, Sweets," Fangs practically whispered, afraid if he spoke any louder his voice would crack. "This is my fault," he practically sobbed into his free hand. "If I hadn't done what I did with Midge, and then-"

"Hey, Fangs. I don't blame you. No one does," he coughed, just giving Fangs more guilt. "I wanted this. I wouldn't have stepped in front of you if I didn't want this," he raised his eyebrows like he did when he really wanted to get his point across.

"No, but...but it was supposed to be me," tears soared down Fangs' bright red cheeks. He looked down, too ashamed and guilty to look at Sweet Pea. Sweets looked at him with sad, sad eyes, his head tilted slightly and feeling his own type of guilt for making Fangs feel this way.

"You know I would never let that happen. Because I'm always going to protect you, okay? _Always."_ Fangs looked up and turned to see his best friend, his cheeks now tear-stained and eyes filled with lot's of emotion.

"I know," Fangs croaked. _'And that's the problem,'_ was left unsaid. Instead, the two just looked into each other's eyes with the utmost of adoration and love. "Now, uh, to keep you awake we're just going to...talk. So, um...what's your favorite color?"

"What?" Sweet Pea croaked, confused.

"Just answer the question," Fangs insisted.

"Uh, black."

"Okay, favorite food?"

* * *

The questions went on and on. They varied from favorite animal to favorite ways to annoy their teachers. But what really mattered was the fact that Fangs was able to keep Sweet Pea awake throughout the entire car ride. Which wasn't very long, but still impressive. 

The three guys managed to drag Sweet Pea out of the truck and into the hospital the same way Archie had just a few months before with his dad. Except the difference between those two situations was that the hospital was pretty much completely empty for Archie. But it wasn't that way for the Serpents. Entering the hospital, there was so many people in the waiting room that they had run out of seats and people had to stand. But the Serpents were not going to be one of those people.

"Help us!"

"We need a doctor!"

"Hey! We need help!" The boys yelled at anyone who would listen as they dragged Sweat Pea's body into the waiting room. "Ma'am," Fangs approached the front desk lady.

"Wait your turn, please," she responded, unamused.

"He was shot!" Jughead added, approaching the desk.

"I need you to step back-"

"He's dying!" Fangs banged his fist against the desk, beyond frustrated and not having the time for bickering.

"Hey, what's going on here?" A doctor approached them.

"My friend was shot right in the stomach," Fangs frantically explained.

"Hey, get me a gurney," the doctor instructed a worker, who was immediately at their side with the gurney.

The three of them plus the doctor and the other healthcare worker helped guide Sweet Pea's body onto the gurney.

"Here, right here," they told him, making him aware that he could allow himself to fall back onto the gurney. He groaned loudly as the doctor ordered his workers to lift the gurney up. More workers surrounded them to help.

"Let's go," the doctor instructed. Sweet Pea breathed heavily out of pain and fear. So before he was wheeled away Fangs took his arm, which was extended outwards, and assured him he would be okay.

"Hey, Sweets, you're going to be okay. Just hang in there, okay?" Sweet Pea nodded before being wheeled away. Fangs could hear his groans of pain from behind closed doors. The three guys just stood there in shock at what had just happened before Jughead started storming away. Fangs and FP followed him, curious as to what he was doing.

"Jug, where do you think you're going?" FP asked his son with a tone that suggested he already knew the answer.

"To find the guy that shot Sweet Pea!"

"Are you insane?"

"No, you're not going out there. Not with people rioting," FP instructed him, grabbing Jughead's shoulder. Jughead shook of his hand and continued marching. "Look, you're angry, you want justice. So do I," FP spun his son around to face himself and Fangs. "But you've got a fallen soldier here, boy, and we need to talk to his family. That's part of being a leader."

"Some leader I am," Jughead meekly responded.

"Jug, come on. Think of Sweet Pea. He needs us," Fangs begged his friend. Jughead sighed and nodded, letting himself walk away from the door and move into the waiting room with Fangs and FP behind him.

* * *

For the past hour Fangs had chewed off most of his finger nails, paced aroundd the waiting room, annoying citizens in the process, almost gotten into a fight with a northsider over an argument about the northside-southside war, called Sweet Pea's older brother Darren to tell him about all of this, talked with Jughead and FP to ease the tension and plan what their next move was, and refrain himself from getting up every five minutes to ask for the status of Sweet Pea. But finally, he couldn't last anymore and he decided to ask a nurse about his best friend.

"Excuse me, ma'am. How's Sweet Pea?" 

"He's still in surgery," she informed him. Coming up from behind her, Sheriff Minetta caught her attention and she turned towards him.

"I'll want to talk to him as soon as he wakes up," he told her and she nodded before turning and walking away.

"Sheriff Minetta," Fangs said, apparently loud enough to catch Jughead's attention, as he quickly turned towards the pair and walked over in his 'trying to be cool by walking slow' walk.

"Shouldn't you be on the streets looking for who shot Sweet Pea?" Frustration and anger coming out like venom from Jughead's voice.

"There's already a manhunt underway," Sheriff Minetta told the boys, but it wasn't very convincing. They knew if Sweet Pea was a northsider the investigation would be taken a lot more seriously. "Your little Serpent pals aren't making things easy, though," the Sheriff motioned his head over to where FP was standing. This caught FP's attention and he approached the group just like his son had. "Rioting, carousing, terrorizing the neighborhood. Already arrested a few."

"Sweet Pea wouldn't have a slug in his gut if you'd done your job in the first place," FP hissed, his hands placed on his hips and fury all over his face.

"I don't know the details of your parole, Mr. Jones, but I'm certain harassing an officer would violate them," A line by Sheriff Minetta that made hardly any sense to the three of them, considering FP had only criticized the Sheriff of not doing his job right. But it was clear the Sheriff just needed something to say to FP to stop FP from giving him the honest truth about how he sucked at his job. But all FP did was chuckle. He looked behind him expecting Jughead to be there to back him up, but Jughead was gone.

"Jug?" FP called. Confused, Fangs looked over too to see that Jughead had indeed vanished.

"I think our conversation is done here," Sheriff Minetta quietly dismissed himself, happy for the distraction that allowed himself to get away from the Serpents.

"Jughead, boy?" FP called around the waiting room and walked outside to do it there too. He came back in with no luck, just a frustrated face. "Damn it," he cursed to himself, running his hands through his hair.

"Should we go after him?" Fangs asked FP. 

"No, leave him be. We need to be here for Sweet Pea," he told Fangs, already starting to walk back to his seat in the waiting room.

* * *

It had been an hour or so before Sweet Pea's doctor finally came out to address them.

An hour or so of Fangs being in the unknown about his best friend's condition. He was never one for being optimistic, so he couldn't help all the pessimistic thoughts that lurked into his head. How there was the high possibility of Sweet Pea making it out of surgery but not being able to walk, sustain serious organ injuries, or, his least favorite, dying in surgery. He also couldn't help but think about all of the times he shared with Sweet Pea. How they both grew up together and were there for each other no matter what. How they helped each other through rough childhoods and eventually joined a gang as a coping method and for protection. How Sweet Pea would always protect Fangs from danger when the opportunity was there, which annoyed Fangs to death because he knew Sweets protecting him would lead to something bad. And he was right.

Sweet Pea's doctor approached them, her arms crossed and face in a frown. Fangs might've felt his heart drop just looking at her expression. 

"We did everything we could. But the short answer is, he lost too much blood. I'm so sorry," she gave them a genuine look of sympathy. FP placed his hand on Fangs’ back and looked to the ground, his other hand rubbing his face. Fangs' face just had a look of confusion and denial.

"No...no but you can help him though, right? He...he can't be..." 

Although Fangs had pessimistic thoughts about this whole situation from the moment it happened, he was in shock. He was never going to get beaten by Sweets in pool again. Never get to watch him shove two burgers down his throat in less than ten minutes, he was never going to get to say a proper goodbye. He looked up at the doctor with what Sweets referred to them as his 'fangsy puppy dog eyes.' 

"I'm afraid it's too late. I'm really sorry," she gave them one final look of sympathy before turning back and walking into the hallway they had taken Sweets into. 

Fangs suddenly lost all his abilities to function. His abilities to breath, stand, move, and before he knew it he was on the ground. FP knelt down and pulled Fangs into a hug. All Fangs could do was sob into FP's chest, really only one thought going on inside his head.

_It was supposed to be me._

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh this was honestly so much fun to write! I blame this random motivation for this fic on the fact that Riverdale came back less than a week ago (Even though Sweets is no longer on the show :’/). But I hope you enjoyed! Kudos and constructive criticism are appreciated! :)


End file.
